Junior Research Fellow in Photonics and Semiconductor Quantum Devices at SAC, ISRO (Ahmedabad)

Job Description

The Space Applications Centre is taking five Junior Research Fellows to build experimental setups and characterise integrated photonics, semiconductor quantum devices and infrared detectors, under advertisement SAC:02:2026 (post code 03).

At a glance

• Position: Junior Research Fellow, post code 03
• Vacancies: 5
• Where: Space Applications Centre, Ahmedabad
• Stipend: ₹37,000 a month for the first two years, ₹42,000 thereafter, plus HRA
• Age limit: 28 years as on 30 September 2026
• Apply by: 17:00 on 30 September 2026

This is laboratory work in the proper sense: you help put the experimental setup together, then measure what comes out of it. The devices in question are integrated photonic and semiconductor quantum devices and infrared detectors, and the fellowship covers both sides of the loop, measuring real devices and simulating them in TCAD so that the fabrication process can be tuned.

Why this role matters

Infrared detectors and integrated photonics are exactly the components that decide what an earth-observation satellite can see, and they are components India would rather build than buy. For a physics or photonics postgraduate this is one of the few Indian positions that combines device characterisation, process simulation and advanced packaging in one place.

What the fellows will work on

• Helping establish experimental setups and characterising integrated photonics and semiconductor quantum devices
• Data analysis and work on fabrication processes to optimise device performance
• Characterisation of infrared detectors
• TCAD software simulation of devices and of the fabrication process
• Advanced microelectronics packaging technologies for high-speed device performance, including design and modelling of photonic semiconductors

Eligibility

• B.E. or B.Tech. in Engineering Physics or a related discipline, OR M.E./M.Tech./M.Sc. in Physics, Applied Physics, Photonics, Optoelectronics, Optics, Material Science, Nanotechnology, Solid State Physics or a related discipline
• A valid score in one of: CSIR-UGC NET including lectureship, GATE, or a national-level examination conducted by a central government department or agency such as DST, DBT, DAE, DOS, DRDO, MoE, ICAR, ICMR, IIT, IISc, IISER or NISER
• Maximum age 28 years as on 30 September 2026, with the usual relaxations for SC/ST, OBC-NCL, serving central government employees, persons with benchmark disabilities and ex-servicemen
• Indian nationals only
• M.E./M.Tech. where prescribed needs at least 60% marks averaged over all semesters, or a CGPA of 6.5 on a 10-point scale
• M.Sc./B.E./B.Tech. where prescribed needs at least 65%, or a CGPA of 6.84 on a 10-point scale
• Marks are not rounded up, and a CGPA cannot be converted to a percentage to meet the cut-off

SAC states that the scope of work given against each post is an outline and not exhaustive, that the number of vacancies is provisional and may go up or down, and that it may cancel the recruitment or leave posts unfilled. The positions are temporary and carry no claim to a regular appointment at any Department of Space or ISRO centre. A fellowship is not a government job with permanent tenure. These posts are temporary, tied to the project or scheme that funds them, and the advertisements say plainly that they confer no claim to a regular post. What they do give you is paid research time inside a national laboratory, and in many cases a route into a PhD. Selection is by interview alone. If many applications arrive, SAC will shortlist on academic record and subject specialisation, and says the committee’s decision is final. Shortlists and the interview schedule are published on the SAC website, and call letters go out only by e-mail, so candidates who are not shortlisted hear nothing.

Pay and duration

• ₹37,000 a month for the first and second year, ₹42,000 a month thereafter, plus House Rent Allowance at the rate in force at Ahmedabad if hostel accommodation is not provided
• Medical benefits for yourself only, and leave as per Department of Space and Government of India rules

How to apply

Apply online only, through the portal linked from the official ISRO advertisement page for advertisement SAC:02:2026 (the full advertisement PDF lists every post code). The portal is open from 10:00 on 10 September 2026 to 17:00 on 30 September 2026. There is no application fee for any post. Note that the printed advertisement gives the portal as career.sac.gov.in, which does not currently resolve; careers.sac.gov.in does respond, so use the link on the ISRO advertisement page rather than typing the address by hand. After submitting, save your application number and print the summary, because the site closes for printing after 17:00 on 30 September 2026.

Key dates

• Advertisement SAC:02:2026 dated 10 September 2026
• Online portal open from 10:00 on 10 September 2026
• Closes at 17:00 on 30 September 2026
• Your NET or GATE result must be valid on 30 September 2026

Please read the official ISRO advertisement SAC:02:2026 before applying, and browse more junior research fellow jobs on ResearchJobs.in.